Copyright

Interpretative Phrases

Theme: to teach Jews that, despite their present circumstances in exile, they should remain faithful and worship God because He is working to establish their desire, the Messiah's eternal kingdom

Food & Drink (1): to exhort Jews to be faithful to the Lord when tempted to compromise in exile because He rewards the faithful with abilities and opportunities to serve Him

Aramaic (2-7): to teach Jews that God should be worshipped because He rules with justice over the affairs of all nations in order to establish Christ's eternal kingdom

Dream (2): to teach Jews that the omniscient God should be worshipped because, unlike the leaders of the nations in which they are exiled, He knows how Israel will be eternally established

Furnace (3): to teach Jews that they should manifest loyalty and worship towards the omnipotent God because, unlike the leaders of the nations in which they are exiled, He has the power to carry out His purposes

Tree Vision (4): to teach Jews that they should worship the sovereign God because, unlike the leaders of the nations in which they are exiled, He has absolute rule over their destiny

Feast (5): to teach Jews that the sovereign God should not be blasphemed because the leaders of the nations in which they are exiled cannot resist the just punishment He imposes because of irreverence

Lion (6): to teach Jews that they should manifest loyalty and worship towards the sovereign God because, unlike the leaders of the nations in which they are exiled, He has absolute rule over the Jews' destiny and is able to use these leaders and faithful Jews in restoring Israel

Four Beasts (7): to teach Jews that, though they will suffer under Gentile rule, ultimately they will prevail over the Gentile nations when the Messiah established His eternal kingdom

Hebrew (8-12): to teach Jews that, though present circumstances fall short of the blessings of God, He is respecting the desires of righteous Jews by controlling the course of history to establish the Messianic kingdom

Goat & Ram (8): to teach Jews that they will be intensively persecuted by a kingdom illustrated by the Mede and Persian and the Greek empires including Antiochus Epiphanes, before God destroyes it

Seventy Weeks (9): to teach Jews that until Israel's Divine punishment is finally resolved in the distant future, relief can only be found in God's unmerited favor

Detail Prophecy (10-12): to teach Jews that God is in control, ordering events to respect the Messianic desires of righteous Jews